Scarlet's story
by animerulez13
Summary: Annie, changes her name to Scarlet, her dead sister's name. She's marked, and sent to Chicago House of Night. Where she'll run into drama and evil.
1. Chapter 1

**Another story? Yup. If you haven't noticed, I like to start a whole bunch of different stories at the same time. It's all fun though.**

**Okay, I'll give a little summary: Annie Flowers is a 16-year old girl who lives in Chicago. She lives with her father and her little brother. Her older sister, Scarlet, died 5 years ago when Annie was only 11. She loved her sister a lot, they use to do a lot of things together. Well, Annie gets marked and is sent to the Chicago House of Night. Let's see what happens...**

Chapter One:

I gently touch my sister's gravemark. I stare at the engraving with tear filled eyes:

_Scarlet Flowers_  
_Dec. 20, 1989 - Dec. 19, 2006_  
_Beloved Daughter._

The tears fall down my cheeks, making my face even colder than before. I rub my nose and sniff.

"Annie? When is sissy gonna wake up?" my seven-year old brother asks.

I look down at Christopher with a little smile. "I don't think she's gonna wake up for a while, hun."

"Why not? She _has_ to! I want to play spin-the-Chrissy!" He does a little spin and laughs.

I hug him and cry and cry. Chris is quiet for a while, then he asks, "What's wrong, Annie?" He wraps his arms around my waist. "Don't cry. She'll come back." That makes me cry even harder.

I look up and wipe my cheeks. A boy stands not that far from us. He's a little older lookin' than me. Actually, I know him. His name is James Stark. Him and I were childhood friends, but then he got marked a couple months ago and I rarely get to see him. His lips move. My eyes widen as he points his finger at me. My vision becomes blurry and my knees become weak. I feel myself falling backwards.

"Annie!" Chris cries.

I hit soft snow. My eyelids close. Heat spreads throughout my body. Then darkness takes over.

* * *

"Do not worry, Mr. Flowers, your daughter will be fine," says a pretty female's voice. "Oh look, she's waking up now."

My eyes flutter open. The first thing I see is my father's face. "Dad?" my voice is hoarse.

"Yes, honey, I'm here," he smiles.

I return the smile. "Where's Chris?"

"He feel asleep." He looks over to his left. I follow his gaze. Sure enough, Chris is sound asleep on the bed next to mine.

"What happened?" Once I asked the question, I already knew the answer.

"You've been blessed by our Goddess, Nyx," the vampyre says. I look up at her beautiful face. Her red velvet hair is wavy and stops at her waist. She has huge pretty light blue eyes with long eyelashes that girls envy for. Flawless pale skin. And she has the body every women wants, a perfect hourglass figure. Just looking at her made me want to cry with jealousy. "My name is Soliel Love," she smiles. "Merry meet."

"Um, merry meet," I mumble as I sit myself up. A sudden rush of dizziness hits my head. I let out a groan. It feels like someone is squeezing my brain.

"Here, take this," Soliel hands me a pill and a cup of water.

I pop the pill in my mouth and gulp the water down. I didn't realize how thirsty I was 'til now. "Thank you." I raise the cup. "May I have some more water?"

"Yes, dear." Soliel walks over to a sink across from me.

I look up at dad, who has been quiet for a while. His eyes are misty, making his gray eyes sparkle. "Dad, I'm fine. Stop looking like you're gonna cry."

He pulls me into his arms. "When I saw you lyin' there in the snow, I was so scared. I thought I lost my baby girl."

"I'm sorry that I scared you, dad."

"You're lucky you're brother came to get me or else you would've been there for who knows how long!" He lets me go and smiles. "I'm very happy that you're okay."

I smile. Wait... But I saw James there. Why didn't he get my dad? "Was James there when you found me?"

"James? No. You were all by yourself." He stared at me hard. "Was he suppose to be there? Why wouldn't he come get me?"

"Well... I just thought..." I mumbled. Thinking hard. "I thought I saw him standing there. I guess I was so upset that I was imagining things."

"Hm." Dad sighed, he ruffled my hair. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," I replied. I look up Soliel who was watching us with her blue eyes. "Oh." I reached for the cup. "Thank you."

She smiles and hands me the cup. "You are welcome." She claps her hands together. "Now, I must explain some things." I look up at her again while drinking my water. "Since you have been marked, it's like you are starting a whole new life. That means, you get to choose a different name."

I thought for a while. Then the corners of my lips turned upwards. "Scarlet," I whisper. "Scarlet Moonflower." I look over at dad, who has tears in his eyes again. "Moonflowers were her favorite flowers, did you know that?" He nodded slowly. "Yeah, they're my favorite too..."

Soliel gives us a sad smile. "Okay, Scarlet. I am your mentor. I am also the High Prestist here at Chicago House of Night. I also teach Arts. Do you like Art?"

My smile widen. "Oh, I love art! My sister always thought I was the greatest... She said I was a talented 12-year old..." I look down at my shoes. "Um... Tomorrow is her birthday, do you mind if I go to her grave with my father and brother?"

Her hand rests on my head. "Of course, dear. But I must go with you. You cannot be away from an Adult vampyre for long, or else your body will regect the change." I nod my head. Her hand drops to her side, she turns to my dad. "Will you like to come with us to Scarlet's room?"

"Well, I better get the munchkin home." He gestures towards the sleeping Chris. "And I'll pack your stuff for you, Scarlet." He gulps. "I'll try my best to fold the clothes neatly."

"Thanks dad." I smile at him.

He gives me a hug. "Stay out of trouble, hun."

I hug him back. "I will." He picks up Chris and leaves.

"Hm. I almost forgot, I have a meeting with another High Prestist in five minutes. I'll just tell you how to get to your room."

"Okay."

"Once you leave this room, take a left. Keep going straight, then take the first right. There should be double doors at the end of the hall. When you're outside, keep going straight. Then take a left by Nyx's statue. The girls' dorm will come into view then."

I nod. "Thank you, mentor."

"Please," she smiled, "Call me Soliel."

I nod again, then leave.

* * *

The girls' dorm is crowded. All the girls were either sitting on couches watching t.v. or on the comps. Some boys were around too. I look at the room number on the piece of paper Soliel gave me after I left. Room 14. I climb the stairs and start searching the room numbers. Mine was at the end of the hall on the second floor. I open the door.

A girl with long gray-ish, white hair looks up at me from her bed. She's lying on her stomach reading a book. "Hey there," she smiles. She had an a bit of a British accent. "You must be my new roomie." She sits up. "What's your name?"

"Scarlet Moonflower."

"Nice to meet you, lune-lune." She smiles. I cock my head to the right. "Lune means moon in French. My name is Bellus Lupus. Bellus means Pretty and Lupus means Wolf in Latin. Sometimes people call me Pretty Wolf or Wolf."

"Do you mind if I just call you Bell?"

"Sure," she perks. She gestures to the bed across from her's. "That is your's." She points to a door near the bed. "And that is the bathroom that we share. Has your mentor told you your schedule yet?" I shake my head no. "Okay. School starts at 8pm and ends at 3am. You'll get use to it," she adds quickly as my eyes widen. "Sometimes we have rituals after school or after lunch. They're really fun. Soliel always opens the circle."

"She's my mentor."

Her eyes go wide. "Really? That is so cool! She's really great and nice. Everybody loves her. I'm in her Art class."

"I hope I get to be in her Art class. I really love art."

"Me too! I enjoy drawing animals, and I'm very good at it if I think so myself." She smiles proudly. "Anyway. Oh. If you want to leave the House of Night to go shopping or so, I advise you not to go very far. I heard some fledgings actually died 'cause they went to far. Their bodies regected the change. Oh, that also reminds me, if you see a fledging regecting the change, do not freak. Just get your mentor. She'll know what to do." She shakes her head. "It's really awful. I've seen two kids regect the change..."

I frown. "Who were they?"

She's quiet for a moment. "My best friend and my boyfriend."

"Oh... that must've been hard. I'm really sorry, Bell."

She shrugs. "That was months ago. Just gotta move on, ya know?" I nod slowly. A skinny white cat jumps onto Bell's lap. "Oh, this is Luna. I'm her's." She laughs a little. "In the House of Night, we don't own cats, cats own us." I raise an eyebrow. "I know, it's weird. But it's kinda true. They like to boss us around. A cat will probably pick you very soon, you look like the animal type."

I nod. "I love animals. Especially cats."

"Good." She looks me up and down. "You have _really_ long hair! How'd you grow it up to your knees? And it looks so healthy and shiney!"

I tug on a strand of hair. "It's very hard. I just got it trimmed every 6 weeks since my sister..." I stopped. "Um... since I was 12. My sister always liked my long hair, so I kept it long." She nods. "And taking a shower is sometimes a pain. But it's really not that bad. I usually put it in a braid." I shrug. "You have pretty gorgeous hair too." I stare at her gray-ish white hair. It stopped at her hips, and was really beautiful. It looked like wolf's fur, but silky and smooth.

She stares at me for a second, with sad gray eyes. I focuse my attention on the empty bed. "My dad'll be coming soon, hope you don't mind."

"That's fine. He bringin' your stuff?"

"Yeah."

She nods. "Oh, by the way, stay away from Jeremiah Jones. He's Athena's."

"Who's Athena?" I plop down on my bed.

"She's the most popular fledging at school. Everybody loves her." She rolls her eyes. "Everybody besides me, of couse."

"Why don't you like her?"

"She's nice to everyone, but 'freaks'." She air quoates around freaks. "I can see right through her fake ass."

"Ah."

* * *

After my dad left, I started putting my stuff away. I look at the picture of my family. Me, Scarlet, my dad, and Christopher. We all looked so happy. I sigh and put it on my night stand by my bed. If only things were like they use to be.

"Who's she?" Bellus points at my sister. "She's really pretty, and she looks a lot like you. Is she your twin?"

"No," I whisper. "She was my older sister." She looks at me with those sad gray eyes again. I avoid them. "She was raped and murdered four years ago."

She gasps. "That's horrible! I'm so, so sorry!"

I rub my eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. "It was a long time ago, time to move on, right?" I give her a small smile.

"Knock, knock."

We turn to our doorway. A girl with short straight brown hair smirks at us. "Hello, Scarlet. I'm Athena. So nice to meet you." She holds out her hand. I take it and shake her hand. I nod and mumble nice to meet you. "Well, I'm here because Soliel asked me to give this to you." She hands me a piece of paper. "It's your schedule. You'll be starting tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks." I said, looking over the paper. She starts to leave. "Oh, um, do I just choose an elective?"

"Yes. There should be two options, you can just choose which one sounds more interesting and go to that class. If you don't like it, you can choose the other." She smiles, then walks away.

"She doesn't seem so bad," I said after Athena shuts the door.

"Just you wait..." Bellus growls, glaring at the door.

* * *

**Eh, so, it's not all that exciting. It'll be somewhat like the real House of Night. Drama and shiz. You know. But it's gonna be different too. For one, she ain't gonna be no slut like Zoey! (Sorry for all those Zoey lovers, but I hate how she's in love with like... 5 different guys!)**

_Song of the day: Collide - Howey Day_

_Avoir, facilles et garcons_


	2. Chapter 2

**Time for another chapter! Woot? I suppose.**

**Check out: The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley and Peter Ferguson**

_"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and to be loved in return."  
-Moulin Rouge_

******

* * *

**

It took me a while to get use to sleeping during the day, and getting up at 7pm to start school in an hour. I take a quick shower and start to dress. I pull on a dark red sweater, my black skinny jeans, and red converse. Bellus barges into the bathroom, holding a towel and rubbing her eyes.

"I gotta take a shower, chick. You don't have to leave. I can undress and dress in there." She points to the shower. I shrug, and start blow drying my hair. I'm done by the time Bellus gets out fully dressed. She looks at the clock by the door. "Well, we have about 15 minutes, want to get some breakfast?"

I crack a smile. "Breakfast? Sure." I put on some eyeliner and lipgloss, then brush my teeth before we head downstairs. "What kind of breakfast do you guys have?"

"We have lots. But it's mostly healthy shiz," Bellus throws back her gray-white hair.

I nod and rummage through the cabinets. "Ooo!" I take out the box of Alien cereal. "I love this stuff!" I joyfully pour me some Alien cereal and some milk. And sit at the table.

"Alien cereal? I've never tried it." Bellus makes her a bowl of the same ceral too, and takes a seat right across from me. She takes a bite.

"Mmm. That is some gooooood cereal." She says around bites. I laugh.

"Hey chickas," a girl with long brown hair streaked with red sits down next to Bellus. "This that new chicka you were talkin' 'bout, Wolfie?" She has a bit of a Jersey accent.

Before Bellus could answer, I say, "Yes, I'm the new girl. My name is Scarlet Moonflower."

"Nice to meet you, Moonflower. My name's Dolly Fine."

"Nice to meet you." I smile.

"Hey, Wolfie, did you hear? Lacy broke up with Jamison!"

Bellus's eyes grow wide. "No way!"

"Way! And I heard Jeremiah dumped Athena! Mm. Mm. MM! Girl, that chicka totally deserved it! She treated him like shit."

"I know, right?" She stares at me. "You and Jeremiah would so totally look _cute_ together."

I blush. "I don't even know him."

"We'll introduce you. You're gonna pick Arts for your third period, right?" I nod. "Good! Me, Dolly and Shelly have that class together. Along with Jeremiah." She waggles her eyebrows.

I sigh. "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now."

"You missin' out, chicka." Dolly shakes her head. "I'm tellin' ya, he is fuckin' _hot_!"

"Let's get going, time for school." Bellus gets up and puts her dishes in the dishwasher.

I shove one last bite of cereal in my mouth, then do the same.

* * *

First period was okay. I was kinda hoping I didn't have to take an English class when I became marked. I have Litature. We were just starting Romeo and Juliet. I wish William Shakespear was a vampyre, so I could've asked him some questions about the old days.

My Lit teacher is Professor Romeo. Which makes me laugh on the inside. I asked him why he chose that name, and he said he loves Romeo and Juliet. Which means we have something in common. He does look like a young Romeo to me also. Even the girls agree, and they are totally in love with him.

Second period is Vamp Spells, which is like a Science class. I have it with Professor Integra. She's very nice and beautiful.

I envy her hair. It's long, as long as mine, and it's straight as a stick. It's tinted a dark violet colour. You can really notice it in the light. We didn't do much. I have Dolly in that class with me.

Now I'm in third period, Arts. Me, Dolly, Shelly, and Bellus are sitting around the table in the very back. We're painting portraits. I'm a little behind, but my mentor, Soliel, said I can have a few extra days.

"Look," Bellus whispers, "That's Jeremiah."

I follow her gaze. I can only see the side of his face, he's talking to someone next to him. He has fine hair, it looks smooth and it's the color of a night sky. It's short, but not to short. I don't really like guys that have super short hair. His is perfect. His head turns my way. My breath catches as soon as I see his face. He's gorgeous! Not just guy gorgeous, but male _model_ gorgeous! His eyes are a deep brown. His skin is pale and flawless. He has a cute, boy face that just screams adorable. You can see through his tight sweater that he's built well.

My face burns when our eyes meet. I look away quickly. After a few minutes, I ask Bellus if he is still looking.

"Girl, he is totally checking you _out." _Dolly grins at me. "I am so damn jealous of you right now!"

"Sh. Shhhhh!" I whisper/yell. I glance over at Jeremiah, he's looking at his board and smiling. "What's he painting?"

"He hasn't really started yet. He's just done the background," Shelly answers. "It's beautiful too. It's of the night sky, and the moon looks so real and bright. And the stars are very pretty," she says in her Texas accent.

"I wanna see..." I mumble.

"I bet I know what he's gonna paint," Shelly grins.

"What?" We all stare at her.

"Scarlet."

"What makes you think that?" Bellus asks.

"Din't you see the way he was lookin' at her? It was like he was in looooove."

I blush. "You can't fall in love with someone by just lookin' at 'em."

"Yes huh. Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"

"You don't really believe in that, do you?"

"Yes, I certainly do."

I roll my eyes. "There's no such thing."

"Hmph." She gets back to painting.

"What're you gonna paint?" Bellus asks me.

"My sister. For my dad."

She nods.

* * *

"Hey, Jeremiah!" Dolly shouts. We have 5 minutes left, and we're all cleaning up our messes. "Come over here, would ya?"

I try not to panic as Jeremiah makes his way over here. I pick up my brushes with shakey hands and head for the sink.

"So, Athena broke up with you, eh?" I hear Dolly ask right before I drown out her voice with the running water.

I stick the brushes in the bowl and walk back over to my table. Dolly's arm wraps around my shoulders. "Have you met the new chicka yet?"

"No, I have not." His voice is rich and beautiful. It's like music to my ears. "I'm Jeremiah Jones." He sticks out his hand. I take it and we shake.

"I-I'm Scarlet Moonflower."

His eyes widen a bit. "Oh. Well. It's almost time to go, so I'll talk to you later." He quickly walks away.

"That was weird..." Shelly says. "What'd you say?" She brushes back her long curly blonde hair.

"I just told him my name..." I mumble.

"Hm." We stare after him. The bell rings, and we see Jeremiah pretty much run out the door.

******

* * *

**

**Second chapter, DONE. **

**What's up with Jeremiah? Why'd he freak when he heard Scarlet's name? Did he have anything to do with the murder of Annie's sister? What did happen to Annie's sister anyway? Well, gotta keep reading and I gotta keep posting for you all to find out.**

_Song of the Day: Forgive Me - Evanescence_

_Avoir_


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go. Thank y'all for reviewin'. I'll try to keep updating as soon as a can. But won't be able to next week, gonna be grounded. I'll write it down on paper so it'll be ready for when I get back on.**

**Well, enjoy!**

"Why do you think Jeremiah freaked out like that?" Bellus asks as we eat our lunch.

"I think he knew my sister." I pick at my salad.

"Knew? Did they use to like, date?" Shelly cocks her head.

I shrug. "I don't think so. She never mentioned him, and usually she told me everything."

"Wait, why you talkin' all pretense and stuff?" Dolly looks at me funny. One of her penciled eyebrows raised.

"I don't want to talk about it..." I mumble.

"Scarlet Renae Flowers."

My eyes widen as my sister's full name is mentioned. I look up at Athena's cold ice-blue eyes. She has a look of disgust on her face.

"Yes, I know of your sister," she says. "Jeremiah was in love with her. When he heard of her death, he was devastated. He even went into a depressed state for months. She rejected him, not because he is marked, but because she loved somebody else. Jesse Newton. He didn't like her back. He never cared for her. He was Jeremiah's best friend too." She stares at me and crosses her arms across her chest. "Jeremiah knows the whole story, except he doesn't know how she died." She smirks a little. "So, how did she?"

I stand up quickly, making my chair fall over. "She was raped and murdered by her English teacher who got away, happy?" I shout then run out of the cafeteria before she could say anything else. I pass Jeremiah on the way. His face was contorted with anger and sadness.

* * *

"Scarlet?"

I sniff and rub my eyes. "What?"

Shelly, Dolly and Bellus enter the room. "Are you okay?" They came over and sit on my bed with me.

"Not really..."

"I'm sorry about your sister." Shelly rubs my back. "How long ago did she die?"

Tears leak down my face. "Five years ago." I wipe the tears away and shake my head. "I kept begging my sister to stay home. Dad grounded her for going to a College party. She wanted to go out and meet Jesse. I knew he didn't like her, he told me. Me and him were pretty close. I thought of him as a big brother. Well, we were talking one day, and he said he felt guilty for going out with her 'cause he didn't really care for her. He liked her best friend, Mikayla. Those two were friends since kindergarten." I sigh. "Anyway, she went out. She snuck out of her window and left. I told dad after it started getting really late. He got mad at me and he went to go after her. I stayed to watch Christopher." The tears started coming faster. "He never found her," I sob. "He had to call the police and they found her a couple of days later at the park just down the street. They said she was covered in blood and mud, and that she was dead for a couple of days."

"How they found out it was the English teach?" Dolly asks in a whisper.

"They found... His DNA all over her." I gag. My friends help me to the bathroom and I puke up my lunch.

"You need to rest. We'll tell Professor Love that you're not feeling well." Bellus helps me to my bed. I nod as she puts the sheets over me.

"Get some rest, girl." Dolly brushes the hair out of my eyes. "We are gonna come back to check up on yous later."

* * *

"Okay," I whisper before I shut my eyes.

* * *

_"How'd I get here in the middle of the woods?" I mumble to myself. I freeze when I hear someone crying. "Is somebody out there?" I shout. The crying gets louder as I creep closer. "Hello?" I call out to the night. _

_"Stop! Please!" My sister's voice makes my knees buckle under me. I fall to the ground. _

_"Scarlet!" I cry. "Scarlet! Where are you?" _

_"Somebody help her!" I hear her scream._

_Her? "Her who, Scarlet? What's happening?" I force myself to get up and run towards the sounds of crying and rustling. _

_"Stop!" That was my voice! But I didn't say anything! I stop by a huge oak tree and hide behind it. I look out into the clearing. A man stands over a girl that's crawling helplessly on the ground. "Don't, please," the girl groans as she tries to get to her knees._

_I can't make myself move. I look around to find help. I see Scarlet standing near the poor girl, crying. She has this faint white glow to her whole body, and you can see right through her. I look back at the girl on the ground. She turns her head to face the man, and I can see her face... More like _my _face! My eyes move to the man standing over her. He looks back. Scarlet's English teacher! I gasp in horror. _

_"Don't touch me!" I shriek and run towards him. I stop as he drops to the ground, holding his head and crying out in agony. I look at the other me. _My_ hand is held out towards the teacher, _my _eyebrows are knit together and _my_ teeth are clenched. The teacher cries out in pain._

_"Stop!" He sobs. "It hurts! Stop! Stop!"_

_"You raped and killed my sister, and then you try to do that to me?" _I_ say through clenched teeth. _

_"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

_"Sorry doesn't cut it." _I _close my fist and the man cries out one more time, then falls to the ground. _

_I run over to him and check to see if he's alive. "You killed him..." I whisper._

_"You had to." Scarlet is standing next to me now. The other me was gone. I look down at myself and find that I'm covered in dirt and a little blood. Her fingers brush against my forehead. "Your mark is beautiful. Looks like moonflowers." She sighs. "Don't feel guilty, sister. You had to do it, he would keep finding new victims 'til he would die." She stares at me with her gray mysterious eyes. "I love you, Annie."_

_"I love you, Annie..." _

* * *

My eyes open to the sound of Scarlet's voice. "Scarlet?" I whisper as I sit up. No one was in the room besides me. I sigh and lay back down, then look at the clock on my bedside table. It's 3:30am. School should be over by now.

The door opens and Bellus, Dolly, and Shelly creep in.

"Oh, yous awake," Dolly says as she shuts the door.

"Yeah, I just woke up." I yawn and stretch my arms.

"You okay?" Shelly stops beside my bed. I nod. "Good. We brought you a drink."

Bellus holds out a pepsi for me. "Pepsi's the greatest, my opinion anyway."

"It is." I smile and sit up so I can drink my soda. "What'd I miss?"

"Eh. Not much. Equestrian Study was pretty fun." Bellus grins at Shelly. "Shelly was to busy talkin' to Dalton to notice she stepped in horse poo."

Shelly blushes. "Oh shut your mouth!"

"Who's Dalton?" I ask after sipping my soda.

"Some boy Shelly crushin' on," Dolly grins. "'Oh Dalton, you's so funny!'"

"Dolly, be quiet!" Shelly whines in her cute little cowgirl accent. "Besides, I was flirtin' or anythin'. We were just talkin'."

"Just 'talkin'', she says," Dolly smiles. "You's funny girl. Anyways, we gots to get goin', babe. You's gonna be okay?"

I nod my head. "Yes. Thank you."

"Bye, dollface." They left the room.

"Here." Bellus tosses me something. I catch it in midair and stare at it. "Jeremiah told me to give that to you."

My eyes widen a little. Lying in my hand was an old gold heart-shape locket connected to a rusted silver chain. "How'd he get this...?"

"He said Jesse gave it to him a couple of days after your sister died. He's kept it since." She scans my face. "It's her's, yes?" I nod my head slowly. "Figured. Oh, he said sorry about freaking out on you. He thought you were the real Scarlet for a moment. He said he thought you looked familiar, but couldn't get a good look at you before until we introduced you. Then you said your name and he got scared. He said it was like seeing a ghost."

"Mm..." I mumble as I walk over to my mirror. "I'm going to..." I look at my reflection. "What the...?" My right eye is changing colors. "My eye!" I shout. "It's... It's turning green!" Bellus hurries over to me. Her eyes widen.

"That is _so_ weird! It's like dropping food coloring into water... But on your eye instead..."

I ignore her and stare at my right eye in the mirror. "It's the color of my sister's..." The beautiful green color swirls around my pupil. Why is it doing this? What's happening?

"Maybe you should go to the nurse?" Bellus suggests.

I shake my head no. "It doesn't hurt or anything. It's just..." My heart beats faster. Am I turning into her? "Ah!" A horrible piercing pain fills my head. I fall to my knees. "What happening?" I scream. I hear Bellus call my name over and over, then footsteps. I fall onto my side, holding my head tightly. "Scarlet! What are you doing? Stop!" I scream over and over.

"Scarlet? Scarlet!" Someone shakes me. "Take her to the infirmary!"

Stong arms lift me and hold me tightly. The pain slowly goes away and I feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"It's going to be okay." A familiar deep familiar voice says.

My eyelids grow heavy. I can't stay up any longer to find out who's carrying me...

* * *

**Here we go. IT'S A SNOW DAY! WHOOO! Sorry that it's short and I took forever. Wanted to get somethin' out there soon. So here we are.**

**HoPe YoU lIkE iT!**

_~animefreeeeeee-eeak.  
Song of the day: Amaranth - Nightwish  
Love you all, see ya!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4? Already? Actually it's taking me forever to upload chapters on here. Sorry. I can never seem to get the computer these days. Luckily school got out early today, and I beat my brother home.**

**Okay, on to the story~**

**

* * *

**

My eyelids flutter open. A figure is standing over me. My vision is blurry at first, but then comes to focus. "Jeremiah?" I croak.

He lets out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay. I was coming to apologize... About me running away from you and all. It was very rude of me. And I heard what Athena said, I'm sorry about that too." He gulps. "I heard you screaming. So I rushed in and carried you here." He gestures to the white room.

I glance around the room. On the bed next to me, Bellus was fast asleep. I look back at Jeremiah with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh. She didn't want to leave you, neither did I... So we stayed the night... Er-Morning." He lets out a chuckle. "Anyway, you had us all panicking. Your friends thought you were rejecting the change, but then they noticed there wasn't any blood coming out of you."

"Blood?" I ask.

"Yeah. When you reject the change, blood comes out from everywhere." He notices that I made a grossed-out expression. "Uh. Well, yeah. It's pretty gross. I've only seen one person get rejected... And that was Jesse. He got marked soon after Scarlet died. But he didn't last very long. Only a couple of months. I can't really say that I cared when he died though..."

"Jeremiah..." I say softly.

He puts his head in his hands and takes deep breaths. "I don't understand. Why didn't she love me?"

I shrug. "She always said she didn't like guys younger than her. You are a couple of years younger than her, yes?"

"Yeah... By just two years though..." He sighed. "She told me that too... She said she wanted a man, not a child. And she was in love with someone else anyway."

"Jesse..." I whisper.

"Yeah." He turns his head towards me and leans closer 'til he was only a few inches away from my face. My cheeks grow warm as he stares at me. "Why is one of your eyes green? Weren't they both blue?" He leans away. "Like the sky on a cloudless day." He smiles a little.

My whole face grows even hotter. "U-um, I-I don't know." I stutter. I forget about my eye changing colors for a second. "Do you like that color?"

"Yes. I love the color of the sky." He looks out the window. The sun was setting. "Night, day, dawn, dusk. It's all beautiful to me."

I stare at him with wide eyes. How could Scarlet _not_ like him? He's handsome and deep. And a great artist as Shelly had mentioned. I gasp and look outside. "Oh no!" I jump out of bed. "I was suppose to go to Scarlet's grave! Where's my phone? I have to call my dad!" I panic as I search my pockets.

"Scarlet, calm down." Jeremiah grabs my arms. He drags me over to Bellus, takes my phone out of her pocket and hands it to me. "She grabbed it before we left your room. It fell out of your pocket. She thought you might want to call your dad when you woke up."

"How'd she know?"

"Well, she didn't. Professor Soliel called him and told him what happened. He insisted on coming over right way, but she said no need and told him to rest up and wait for you to call him."

"Oh." I dial his number quickly. He answered after the first ring.

_"Are you alright? Soliel told me what happened! I'm on my way over there right now."_ He pretty much yells into the phone.

"Dad. I'm alright. Don't freak okay? It was just a little headache." I assure him. "We're still going to Scarlet's grave, right?"

_"Are you sure that's alright? What if you have another breakdown?"_

"Daaaaad..." I groan. My cheeks grow pink again. "It wasn't a breakdown." I hiss into the phone. "I'll be fine. Besides, Soliel said she'll come with us."

"Me too," Jeremiah says into the phone.

"And Jeremiah."

"Me too," says a sleepy Bellus.

"And Bellus.

"Me too!"

"And me!"

"And pretty much the whole school," I sigh into the phone, smiling. "I'll see you in a bit dad, love you."

"_Love you too, honey._" We hang up.

"Professor Fleur says we can get some flowers from her greenhouse if we want," Shelly informs us. "I'll show y'all the way. C'mon." We follow her out of the room and down the hallway. It's very quiet and dark. The rooms are all unoccupied. We exit the buidling and follow a little path in the dusk light. A small building made of glass comes into view. We go inside. A man with long blond hair and very tall is hovering over some white roses.

"Hello, Professor Fleur!" Shelly says, skipping over to him. Professor Fleur is a _man_? But Fleur is a French name for a _girl_!

"Ah, my lovely Sheelly," he says in a fluent French accent. "How 'ave you beeen? I 'ave beeen wondering when you would show!"

"I'm sorry, Professor. I know I was suppose to visit, but I've been kind of busy, you see?" she gestures to us. "These are my friends I was telling you about."

"Oh, yeees. Sheeelly's friends. 'zey are very lovely." He smiles at us. Dolly airs her face with her hand, batting her eyelashes at Professor Fleur. "'zey want flowers, yees?"

"Yes, for my sister," I say, making my way to the front.

"Your seester? She es gone, I take?"

"Yes..."

"I am veery sorry. Pleeaze, take any flowers you vant." Professor Fleur moves his arm around to show us the many beautiful flowers inside. "Hmm." he looks down at me. "You 'ave veery beautiful 'air!" he takes a handfull of it, rubbing it on his face. I was kind of uncomfortable, but let him. "I eenvy eet."

"Um... Thank you..." I grab my black hair from him and smile. "My sister always wanted me to grow it out, so I did."

"Ah. Eet's too bad your seester couldn't see eet." He frowns.

I just nod, and start looking to see if he has any moonflowers. I find a bunch near the back, which was in the shade. I take a bunch.

"I can vrap 'zeem up for you." Fleur smiles, holding out his hand. I nod and say thank you. He walks to the back. Everyone else hands him their flowers so he can wrap them for us. I notice each of them have some moonflowers mixed in with their bunch. Fleur moves fast, taking only seconds to wrap up the flowers. "'ere you goo." he hands them back. "'ope you come and visit me soon!"

We wave at him as we leave. "There you are!" Professor Soliel rushes over to us. "Come on, now. Your father is waiting in front of the school." We follow her to the front. My dad was leaning on his van with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey dad!" I run up to him, throwing my arms around his neck. We give each other a quick hug.

"Hurry up now, your teacher can't be gone long," he ushers everyone into the van. We take off. The graveyard where Scarlet laid wasn't far from the school. Only a couple of blocks south. It takes us a few moments to find her grave. "There she is," dad whispers, stopping in front of a tiny grave marker with the words:

_Scarlet Flowers_

_Dec. 20, 1989 - Dec. 19, 2006_

_Beloved Daughter._

My throat immediately starts to hurt. My eyes start to water, and the cold air made it even worse. I gently lay the flowers by her headstone. Everyone else does the same. Chris sits in the snow, and rests a tiny hand on the headstone. "Come back soon, sissy," he says, smiling. "You're making everyone sad. We all miss you."

The tears fall down my face, immediately freezing onto my cheeks. A pair of strong arms wrap around me. I look up into Jeremiah's face, he has frozen tears on his cheeks too. Everyone huddles together, silently crying because of Chris. He kept talking to her headstone.

"I know everyone keeps saying you're not coming back, but I know you will!" he chirps. "You promised to play with me, remember?"

"Chris, stop," I choke out. "It's been five years since she's left, she's not coming back!" I shout. He stares up at me with tears in his eyes.

"Annie, don't shout at your brother like that," dad says, picking up Chris. "He's just a little-"

"Kid! He's old enough to know that she's _dead_ dad! Scarlet is _dead_! And she's never coming back!" I scream. I fall onto the snow, landing on my bottom, my hands covering my face so nobody could see my tears. I try to be silent, but I kept hiccuping and sobbing. "How can you even remember her telling you she was going to play with you, Chris?" I say after I calm down a little.

"She only told me a few days ago."

We all look at him, silently. "It was only a dream. She's not coming back," I say, pushing myself off the ground. "Let's go back... I'm not in the mood to stay her all night like last time."

We leave. Dad dropped us off at the school, then drove home. I walk to the girl's building, not waiting for anybody.

"Just leave her be."

"Yeah. Girl don't want to be bugged right now."

"Don't!"

"Just let him go, girls."

I hear my friends say, but I ignore them, hurrying to the building before Jeremiah could catch up. He does just before I reach the sidewalk. "Hey..." he says quietly. I let out some weird noise, like a grunt or groan. "Your poor brother... I never knew the kid still thought she was alive."

"He's just in denial..." I say. "We tell him over and over that she's not coming back. But I guess she keeps coming in his dreams and tells him so. But I think he's taking it the wrong way. She means that she's going to come back in his dreams again, not in real life."

Jeremiah is quiet. "How do you know this?"

"She's visited me in mine before. Why not his? I bet she even visits dad, too." I look up at him. "What about you?"

He shrugs. "Every now and then, I guess."

I stop at the entrance. "I'll see you later. Bye."

He grabs my wrist, I look back up at him. He leans down and kisses my cheek. "Sweet dreams, Annie..."

* * *

**End for noooooowww! Hope you Enjoyed it.**

**Avoir, kidds**

_song of the day: Waiting for the End - Linkin Park_

_bon nuit ~_


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, it's been a REALLY long time since I've uploaded anything to this story. Well, I just reread it and decided I should slowly add on to it while I have some time. Especially since I graduated and have plenty of time to write before I have to work! Woot!**

_Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been'."  
- John Greenleaf Whittier_

_**You should check out: **_**50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Although it's a fanfiction based off Twilight, it's still pretty hilarious. People call it a porno, but honestly, there isn't that much sex in it. **_  
_

* * *

Chapter Five:

I woke up groggy and not feeling too bright. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, sitting up and throwing my legs over the edge of my bed. Bellus is still snoring away, her silver hair covering her face like a veil. I look at the alarm clock by my bed. 5:30pm. I still have two and a half hours left 'til school. Time to take a shower, I suppose.

Walking over to the bathroom, I start stripping out of my clothes. Not caring that I am throwing them all over the place. I'm really not in the mood this evening. I turn the water all the way to cold, just to wake me up a little. When I had enough, I turned it to warm, enjoying the soothing beads on my skin. I didn't realize how long I've been in the shower until Bellus knocked on the door.

"Are you almost done?" I hear her shout from the other side.

"Yeah!" I shout back. I shampoo my hair and wash my body quickly. The water had gotten very cold, giving my goosebumps. I wrap a white fluffy towel around my damp body. Using another towel, I wrap it the best I can around my hair.

Bellus is sitting on her bed, her knee slightly jumping up and down. "Sorry I took so long," I mumble, walking over to my dresser for clothes. I glance at the alarm, it read 6:13pm.

"It's okay," she says. I hear her walk to the bathroom, the door shutting quietly behind her.

My body crumples to the floor. Sobs escape from my throat. I stay like that until I hear the water shut off. Rubbing the tears away, I take a deep breath, picking myself up from the floor. I dress quickly in my underclothes, dark blue stockings, a black silk mini skirt, and a blue v-neck short sleeved shirt.

Bellus walks out of the bathroom, glancing at me quickly, then heads for her own dresser. I blow dry my hair as she dress in her usual weird clothing: torn up dark gray skinny jeans with fish net stocking underneath, a white turtle neck long sleeved shirt, and a mini black vest over it. She slips on her knee high black boots.

I pass her the blow dryer. After she's done drying her hair, she picks up her brush and sits next to me on my bed. "I'll do your hair if you do mine?" she says softly with a small smile. I give her a slight nod, sitting on the floor between her legs. She gently runs the brush through my hair, starting at the bottom and working her way up top. "Are you feeling any better?" she asks. I shrug. We're silent for a moment. "I have three older brothers. They're all very great and wonderful." Silence. I nudge her to go on. "When I was ten, my mother committed suicide by overdosing. A few years later, my dad did the same thing. So my oldest brother, Jamison, he had to take care of us."

"Why your brother?" I ask, cocking my head slightly to the right. She straightens my head, making me smile a bit.

"My grandparents died a long time ago. My father was an only child, and my mother's side didn't want to have anything to do with us since they thought we were the cause of my mother's decision to kill herself," she explains.

"That's terrible..." I mumble. My heart aches from hearing her story. Poor Bell and her poor brothers, having to take care of a child at such a young age. "I'm really sorry, Bell..."

She sighs. "Like I've said before, gotta move on, right?"

"I guess so..." I whisper, looking down at my hands.

We finish doing each other's hair. Bellus did mine in a french braid down the middle of my back. I split her hair in the middle, french braiding both sides up to her shoulders. The rest was loose, falling down her front.

I felt a little closer to her. I'm glad she's not asking any questions about my sister. But she does ask about my mother. "My dad told me that she was an alcoholic and drug addict. So he took us and we moved down here." I shrug. "She's never tried to contact us, so I don't know what happened to her. I haven't seen my mother since I was four, so I don't remember much about her."

She nods, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. "Well, we still have time for breakfast. Want to go get some Alien cereal?"

I smile, agreeing with a nod of my head. I grab my rainbow hoodie, throwing it on. We head downstairs with our bags. Shelly and Dolly were already at a round table in the kitchen area. They look at me wearily. I roll my eyes and grin at them. "Don't worry you two, I'm fine."

They break into smiles. "Thank goodness!" Shelly sighs, grinning like a fool. "I was hopin' you'd be in a better mood."

"Yeah," I grab my favourite cereal and pour Bellus and I a bowl. As we eat, Dolly goes on and on about the latest scandal.

"Professor Fleur and Integra were sawn kissin' over in that garden house!" Dolly pratically shouts. A few girls lean in to listen. "Louise, Jaccourd (who's like the hottest guy ever! she adds), and I was walkin' down by the back entrance, and we heard this weird noise, like somebody fallen over and stuff, so we go to investigate. We was all quiet and snuck in. And BAM! Professor Fleur was ontop of Professor Integra on the floor behind some roses! It was kinda gross 'cause they was really goin' at it." She tosses her brown hair behind her back, pulling it up into a high, messy pony tail.

"That's soooo romantic!" Shelly says, a funny dazy look on her face.

"Pashaw! How's it romantic? They was on a floor in a garden house! That's nasty shit. There's like, bugs and stuff crawlin' around that place!" Dolly says.

"But by roses," Shelly says. "In the moonlight, all alone." She sighs. "I want a boyfriend, girls."

"We know." We says in unison. Then burst out laughing.

"Just ask out Dalton," I suggest. "Since you seem to like him so much."

She shakes her head. "No, I can't! He's way to out of my league! I rather not get rejected."

We shake our heads.

* * *

Thrid period Arts. I work hard on my painting. Ignoring the gossiping around me, ignoring my friends comments about my art work, and ignoring Jeremiah, who is trying really hard to get my attention. He even came up behind me and complimented my work. I just nodded my head a bit, making him sigh and walk away.

"Okay everyone, let's start cleaning up for today!" Professor Love says, clapping her hands to get everyone to listen. We clean up our table, placing our paintings on the drying rack.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bellus whispers to me as we grab our bags.

I give her a small smile. "Yes, of course."

"Then why are you ignoring everyone? Especially Jeremiah?" she glances at him as she says his name.

I shrug, watching as he slowly cleans up his mess. "It's just... embarrassing. How I broke down in front of him like that, and acted like a bitch."

"Just talk to him then!" she pats my back, giving me an encouraging smile. "Stop acting like a, you said it not me, bitch and go talk to the boy. I'm sure that's what he's waiting for."

"Really?"

She nods. The bell rings. Everyone clears out. Jeremiah quickly puts his painting away, then leaves as well. I follow, trying my best to catch up to him. "Wait, Jeremiah!" I grab his forearm before he could turn a corner. Just as he's about to turn towards me, someone else grabs both sides of his face and leans up to kiss him. I stand there, watching Athena kiss Jeremiah with wide eyes.

"Hey, baby," Athena grins at him.

"Athena, not right now..." Jeremiah gently pulls away from her, also escaping my grasp. He glances at me, then turns back to Athena. "Let me talk to... Scarlet real quick."

Athena glares at me. Her wide mouth turns into a wicked smile. "Okay, babe. Be quick, alright?" She gives him a wet, long kiss. My hands ball into fists. She walks away, leaving Jeremiah and I alone.

My gaze shifts to my feet. The hallway clears of students. "I... Look, Annie-"

"Scarlet," I hiss, not looking at him.

"... Scarlet. I know this is weird, but she... It's complicated."

I look him in the eye. "Oh, it's not complicated. In fact, it's all clear. You and Athena thought it'd be funny to play with my emotions. You both talk about my sister, her in front of everyone in the cafeteria. And you, acting like you actually had... feelings for me! You are sick, Jeremiah!" I turn on my heels.

"No, Scarlet, I-" he grabs my wrist, forcing me back to face him. "I'm sorry, I really do like you. I wish I could explain..." he brushes my cheek with his fingertips. I turn my head away from him. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, "It might have been better if we never met... I'm sorry I hurt you." He releases my wrist, turning around and walking away from me.

Why me? Tears leak down my cheeks as I run into the closest bathroom.

* * *

**A little short, but what the heck? Little twist in there for ya. I really didn't know where I was going with this, but now I have somewhat an idea. R&R please!**

_~ animelover_

_Love you all & goodnight!_

_Song of the moment: Undiscovered Colours - The Flashbulb_


	6. Chapter 6

**Yeah, so don't really expect me to update very often. I'm just doing this as I go. I have no idea where this story is heading to anymore. But I want to finish it because it'd be dumb if I just gave up now, ya know?**

**I think I'll just start replying to comments on here. That way it'd be easier for me. **

**xXxJustLivingLifexXx: (10/25/10) _"This is a cool story, please UD soon" - _Thank you! I will try my best.  
The Hungry Writer: (10/29/10) "_oh this has much drama. love it! plz update soon" _- I try to make as much drama as possible in my stories!  
Nyx'sReincarnation: (8/15/12) "_Great story! Her friends are interesting. - _Yes, I kind of based them off my friends.  
_Stark isn't a tracker. _- At the time, I didn't know much.  
_I think you spelled "priestess" wrong a few times in the earlier chapters. _- I realized, haha! I honestly never spell checked back then.  
_This may make me seem stereotypical... but what was it you were trying to say in French? You do know that "avoir" means "to have", right? I think you were meaning to say "au revoir". Sorry... LOL _- Even though I took a year of French, I still suck at it. -^- But yeah, I know.  
_Will she or her friends be gifted in any way? _- I'm actually thinking about it. I have a pretty good idea what I want their "powers" to be. So I'm pretty excited.  
_Keep up the great work! :) (: _- Thank you! I will try!  
_Tarah xXx"  
_Sophie - (9/8/12) - "_You can't call Zoey a SLUT! That's awful! (BTW I love the story so far!)"  
_- Sorry! I just didn't like her very much. I still don't to be honest.  
"Post! Post! You're really good!" - And thank you! I try my best!**

****_"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."  
__-Martha Graham_

* * *

I couldn't help but glare at Athena and Jeremiah while picking at my food during dinner... Or lunch. I don't even know. I guess I'm still getting used to the time.

There was something odd about those two. Athena had a huge grin on her face as she played with Jeremiah's dark messy hair. But he seemed in a totally different world. His eyes had a far away look. I watched how he slightly nodded every time her mouth moved. She didn't seem to care that he barely payed any mind to her. I guess she was only happy that he was her's again.

But why wasn't he happy?

I wonder what she had to do to convince him to go back out with her. Maybe she threatened him, blackmailed him. But what would she have against him anyway? I honestly wouldn't know. I barely know the guy.

"Yo, Scar? You okay, girl?" Dolly waved her hand in front of my face.

I shook my head slightly. "Oh, yeah. Totally." I shoved lettuce from my salad into my mouth. My friends looked at me with worried expressions. I swallowed hard. "What? Is the lettuce bad or something...?"

"No... It's just..." Bellus's voice trailed off. She looked in the direction of the popular couple. "How are you, really?" The other two girls leaned in, their eyes focused on my face.

I fidgeted under their intense gaze. "Girls, really. I'm _fine_. Never better actually."

"But what 'bout Je-"

I cut Shelly off. "Look, obviously he's a jerk, okay? He rather be with barbie than with me. He was just toying with my emotions for his own sick entertainment. I don't need a guy like that. You guys should be happy that I actually have the brain not to chase after guys with just good looks, but after guys with a great personality, right?" I babbled on. "Besides, I barely know him. So it doesn't matter. It was just a little crush."

"And girl, did you get crushed!" Dolly laughed. She quickly stopped when Bellus glared at her. "I-I mean... Ya, you right, girl." She bowed her head and began stuffing her face with yogurt.

"Don't listen to her," Bellus mumbled. "And yes, you are right. Personality, should _always_ be top priority on a girl's list." She smiled. "But I wonder why they're back together..."

"Don't know, don't care." I concentrated back on my salad.

* * *

Professor Judai had us each pick a horse. This was my first time in Equestrian Studies. I adore horses. They're always so calm and peaceful. A beautiful white horse with big brown spots splattered across it's body stared at me with black eyes. I was shy at first. But then it whinnied, like it was calling me over. So I went over and introduced myself. I know it sounds funny, but I was being polite.

"This here is Brown Sugar." a familiar voice said.

I turned around. Jeremiah glided past me. "What are you doing here?" I asked in my best icy cold tone.

"I'm in this class." He replied without looking at me. He looked stuff, uncomfortable. Like he didn't want to be here. "She's my favourite." He said as he got a brush from inside the stable Brown Sugar was in. He began to run it through her thick mane. She huffed.

I walked up to her, resting my hand between her eyes. "You sure are beautiful." I smiled. She seemed to like my comment because she pressed her hand against my palm, closing her eyes. I watched the bristles of the brush slide through her hair. "I wish my hair was as gorgeous as your's." I felt Jeremiah's eyes on me, so I looked up. He glanced away. "What?" I mumbled.

He ignored me. I sighed.

"Well, hello gorgeous!"

Jeremiah and I turned our attention to whoever was talking. One of the students strolled up to us. He was grinning at me. His teeth were bright and very, very white. They even glinted in the moon's light, making his smile breath taking. "And I wasn't talking to the horse." He said, winking at me. "What's your name, beautiful?"

"Beautiful? Are you sure you're not talking to Brown Sugar?" I tickled under her chin. She seemed to like that.

"Although you are correct, she is stunning." the guy rubbed the horse's strong cheek. "But so are you. What's your name?" He asked again.

"Scarlet Moonflower." I replied. "And your's, sir?"

"Sir? I like that." He grinned. "Desmond Myers."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled.

"And so nice to meet you." His eyes shifted to my hair. "Lovely hair." He gently took a strand of it between his pointer finger and thumb. "Wow..." He breathed. He let it slip, then turned. "Yo, Jeremiah. How are you, man?"

"Fine." He quickly said.

"Don't have to be so cold." Desmond mumbled. "I heard you're going back out with Athena? Why dude? That girl's terrible."

"Watch it." Jeremiah's eyes flared.

"Sorry. I thought you were over with her." Desmond shrugged. He bent down to me, cupping a hand over his mouth. "Girl's a total bitch to the guy." He whispered, straightening up when Jeremiah glanced our way.

"Things change." Jeremiah placed the brush down. "Obviously you two would like to talk alone, so I will take my leave." He stood there for a moment. His eyes landed on me briefly before leaving. No one said anything until he was gone.

"I honestly don't get the guy." Desmond sighed. He lifted a heavy brown saddle onto Brown Sugar's back. "You know how to ride?"

"Um..." I blushed. "I've actually never ridden a horse before."

"Seriously? Okay, I'll teach you." He grinned while tightening the straps into place. "It's easy. Really!" He added when I gave him a questioning look. He put the rein in place, then stuck his hand out. "C'mon. I'll help you up."

I hesitated before taking his hand. He helped me on top, then grabbed the rein, leading Brown Sugar out of the stable. I clutched onto the stump connected to the saddle in front of me. "Th-This is so scary!" I cried.

"You'll be okay!" Desmond laughed. "Do you wanna try guiding her?" He held up the leather in his hands. I shook my head quickly. "You'll be fine! Here, I'll take you to the training area so you'll have more open space."

I shakily nodded my head. He led Brown Sugar and I to an open field. There were a couple jumping post spread out evenly. Trees clustered together about a hundred feet away. The leaves glittered under the moon's glow. You could faintly see the tops sway in the wind.

The cold air hit me in the face. I shuddered and rubbed my arms. "Are you sure it's okay to be over here? I can't even see the other students or Professor Judai." I searched behind us, barely making out the stables in the dark.

"Of course. I use to come out here with Beauty all the time." Desmond said.

"Who's Beauty?"

"A horse. She was sold a couple of months ago. She was gorgeous."

"Due to her name, I suppose so." I replied.

"Anyway, here." He tossed the smooth leather in my direction. I caught it, holding on tightly. "Alright, I'll teach you how to ride properly. Make sure-"

"Maybe you should show me? I learn better by watching first." I interrupt.

"Okay. Scoot back." He removed my foot from the hook.

"Huh? I meant-"

But he was already flipping his leg over my head and setting himself in front of me. "Comfy?" He asked.

"How'd you do that?" I frowned.

"Do what?"

"Swing your leg that far up."

"Dance. Didn't you know I'm in the same class as you?" He laughed.

"You... are?" I stared at him dumbfounded. "Well, in my defense, I haven't even gone to the class yet."

"True. I definitely would've noticed you. Why haven't you gone?"

"Um... Personal issues." I muttered.

He shrugged. "Alright. To steer or guide her, you tug on the reins. Tug and lean right to make her go right. Tug and lean left to make her go left. Tug and lean backwards to have her stop. Keep your movements in sync with her's. You might want to hold onto me." I do as I'm told, sliding my arms around his waist. "To make her go, you kick in her in the sides with the heel of your foot."

"Wouldn't that hurt her though?" I stared down at Desmond's feet.

"Not at all. Watch." He kicked hard while making a 'chik-chik' noise. Immediately Brown Sugar began to move. She walked slow, her heading bobbing up and down. "To make her go faster, just kick her again until she does. But if she's running or trotting, you want to be like squatting." He kicked Sugar's sides again. She started to trot. He lifted himself slightly, as did I while gripping onto the back of his shirt for dear life. "See, easy."

My teeth chattered in response. Desmond tugged on the reins. "Woah, girl." He said gently. Sugar slowed to a halt. He jumped down. "Want to give it a try?"

I threw my legs over and landed on the ground with a small 'thump'. "Maybe tomorrow, class is almost over."

"Hm." He sighed. "At least I get to see you next period too." He grinned. "Mind if we walk to class together?"

"Sure." I replied. Maybe getting over Jeremiah won't be so bad. Something flashed out of the corner of my eye. I Stared in the direction of the trees. Now that we were closer, I can make out the individual leaves.

Something moved in the shadows. I yelped, grabbing onto Desmond's arm.

"What is it?" He followed my gaze. "What? I dont' see anything."

"I... I thought I saw someone move."

He shrugged. "Probably an animal." I refused to move an inch. "Here, I'll even let you hold my hand." He chuckled, taking my hand into his. "Let's go, beau-"

"Ahem."

We turned our heads. Jeremiah stood a few feet away, arms crossed and an angry expression on his face.

"Yee-ah?" Desmond asked, dragging the word out. He grabbed the rains with his free hand.

"Professor Judai was wondering what was taking you two so long." Jeremiah said. He glanced down at our hands. "Now I see why."

Desmond shrugged, tugging on Brown Sugar and I along. "She was scared."

"Ah..." Jeremiah grumbled.

"Here, want to hold her-"

"No."

"I refuse."

Jeremiah and I glared at each other.

Desmond threw his head back and laughed. "I was talking about Brown Sugar. Like I'd give up this beautiful lady to you."

Jeremiah's lip twisted into a sneer. He turned his back towards us and walked off. "What's up with that guy?" Desmond muttered. I didn't say anything, just watched him disappear towards the stables.

* * *

I use to be on the dance squad at my old school. They considered me as one of the top five. But here... I was in the low tens. And Desmond? He was ranked around one or three. Every girl in the class had their eyes glued on to him as he warmed up. Although he was only stretching. Even I couldn't seem to remove my eyes.

Professor Litho clapped her hands. Everyone turned their attention towards her. It seemed like Litho was the popular women in the class. Just as us girls couldn't keep our eyes off Desmond, the guys couldn't keep their eyes off Litho. And they were worse. Most of them actually had drool dripping down their chins. It was disgusting and a lot of us girls sneered at them.

But honestly, I couldn't blame them. Litho was beautiful in here leotard. He clung to her body like a second layer of skin. You can see the muscle working underneath as she moved throughout the room.

"Today we are going to do interpret dance. I'm going to call out different emotions and you all will interpret them, understood?" Litho said while she stalked around the room.

"Yes, Professor!" Everyone shouted.

"Good. Stand up and let's begin. We'll start out with 'joy'." Her eyes scanned the room as everyone began to move.

I spun around in five quick movements, kicking my leg out to speed up the momentum. Then jumped far, landing on tip toe. My eyes closed as I danced around. It felt like I could still see them. I listened for the movements. The sound of shoes scruffing the floor. The faint whooshing of air as people moved. Their light breathing.

"Anger!"

My body changed into sharp, jerky movements.

"Saddness!"

I lessened my muscles. My movements going limp.

"Bashful!"

I kept to myself. Trying to make myself as small as possible.

"Good!" Litho enthused. I opened my eyes to see her staring at me. "That was wonderful! Just watching you dance, I felt each emotion. I was so overwhelmed, I had to stop!" Litho laughed. "Your name is Scarlet, right?"

I nodded my head, a little embarrassed by the attention I was getting. "Y-Yes. I am."

"Wow." She breathed. "You should participate in the Winter Solace dance."

"I-I don't know..." I mumbled.

"You'll do great!" Desmond grinned, patting me on the shoulder. "I'm in it." He winked.

I got a lot of death glares from the girls. "Well..." It would definitely get my mind off things. "Okay."

* * *

**END of chapter 6. So who do you guys think she'll end up with? Desmond or Jeremiah? I honestly don't even know myself. I'm slowly plotting things as I write this! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.**

_Song of the moment: (There isn't one 'cause I'm not listening to any music D:)_

_~ fc_


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I noticed that I made a lot of mistakes in the past chapters. So I'm sorry. I just reread it. I'll list a couple to straighten them out:  
-Scarlet(the real scarlet, Annie's sister) had green eyes, not gray.  
-I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Bellus, Dolly, and Shelly is in the same Equestrian Studies as "Scarlet".  
-"Scarlet's" eye started changing colours. I have decided to work around that, you'll know what I mean here soon.  
-"Scarlet" does have a special power, it was kind of mentioned in a previous chapter, I am going to work that in the story too. **

**I hope you all aren't confused. I just haven't worked on this story for a while. I'm trying to complete it so I can get it out of the way. I do sort of know now what I'm planning on doing with the rest of it. Just gotta put it into words!**

**Reviews:  
Nyx'sReincarnation: _Awesome chapter! It almost seems like she's with Desmond to make him jealous... XD he seems like the ... um... take-advantage type.- _We'll see! I've finally got his character all figured out! lol  
_You should probably find out where the story's going though, because if you don't have a plot in mind things could get messy and confusing and meaningless very quickly. _- Very true. I did have one a looong time ago, but completely forgot it 'cause I kind of lost interest in the series. But I made up a new one and plan to continue and get this story over with.  
_Keep up the awesomesauce work! XD :) (:_  
_Tarah xXx_**

**DISCLAIMER: The House of Night series DOES NOT belong to me. It belongs to Kristin Cast and P.C. Cast. Any other character that isn't her's belongs to me. **

* * *

Desmond had decided to follow me to my dorm. I honestly didn't mind, what I did mind though was all the attention I was getting. It made me very uncomfortable. Was this guy that popular?

We ignored them, well, more like he did, and I tried my best without glaring at them.

Bellus was in our room. "Hey, we didn't see you in Equestrian Stu-" She stopped mid-sentence when Desmond entered the room behind me. "Uuuh, hey?" Her eyes shifted to me. I shrugged as Desmond made himself comfortable on my bed.

"He followed me." I told her, taking a seat on Bellus's bed. "What're you reading?"

"Huh? Oh, just a... A Stephen King book." She tilted it up so I can see the title. _Desperation._ "It's pretty interesting." She mumbled.

"Ah. I'll have to read it sometime." I gestured towards Desmond. "Anyway, this is Des-"

"I know who he is." She said quickly.

"Oh... Well, Desmond then this is Bell-"

"I know, beautiful. We have the same class together, remember?" He grinned at my friend. "So nice to see you again."

Bellus cleared her throat. "Can't say the same, sorry."

"Um..." My eyes flickered between the both of them. "How do you guys know each other?"

"Don't worry about it, beautiful. It's not important." He grabbed a photo from my nightstand. "Hey, is this your family?" I nod. "Who's the older girl? She looks a lot like you. Your twin?"

I shook my head no. "She was my older sister." I croaked, taking the frame gently from his hands.

"Oh..." His incredible dark, blue eyes search my face. He sighed when I didn't go any further, but was kind enough not to ask questions. "Yo, Bellus, do you know why Athena and Jay are back together?"

"You mean Jeremiah?" Bellus looked at him over the top of her book. "No."

"Hm." Desmond frowned slightly.

What is up with them? I glanced at Bellus, who kept peeking at Desmond over her book. Then I turned back to Desmond, who was now lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I sighed, removing the elastic band from my hair and combing out the french braid, thin strands of black hair fell past my shoulders. Unlike my sister's red hair, I have black. Just like my dad's. **(a/n: Even though I said I read the story over again ((more like I skimmed it)) I forgot if I ever mentioned colours. -_-)**

My phone silently buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the caller ID. It was a private number. I don't really like answering for numbers I don't know, especially ones that says 'private' or 'unknown caller'. I clicked 'end'. As I was about to shove it back in my pocket, it buzzed again. Private number.

"Just answer it?" I didn't even notice Bellus peering over my shoulder.

I did, putting the phone up to my ear and said, "Hello."

Nothing.

"Hello?" I waited for a response. "Okay, bye-"

"Hello?" A rough male voice answered. I jumped at the sudden response. "Annie?"

"Uh, yes?" I replied.

"Annie, is that you?" The voice said quickly.

"Who is this?" I raised an eyebrow at Bellus. Desmond walked over and sat on my other side.

"I've been wanting to talk to you." The voice said.

"Okay..." I said slowly. "Can you tell me your name?"

"No." He growled. "Where are you? Can I see you now?"

I put him on speaker. "Why? Maybe if you tell me who you are."

"I can't. I can't!" He yelled, making me and Bellus jump. Desmond smirked at us. "Just tell me! I need to see you. What do you look like now? Do you look like her? I haven't seen her since... Since..."

"Who? Since when?" This was getting weird. Is this guy drunk? "Hello? Sir, have you been drinking?"

He moaned. "You're so polite, Annie... Your sister use to call me sir too... I miss her."

"My... My sister?" I gulped. "Is this... Is this Mr. Tanner?"

My friends stared at me. Bellus with fear in her eyes, and Desmond with a questioning look.

The man ignored my question. "Can I meet you now? I know it's late, but I don't care! I'll go anywhere you are."

"I'm sorry... Mr. Tanner?" I tried again. "But I don't feel comfortable being alone with you. Do the police know where you are? Are you back in town? What number are you calling from? Because it says private-"

"Are you going to tell on me?" He suddenly asked in a harsh tone. "I know where you live, but you're never home. Don't plan on telling the police because I will kill them."

I froze, staring wide-eyed at the wall across from me. "You... You're..." I bit my tongue, trying not to insult the psycho. "I'm not going to tell, okay?" I whispered into the phone. "Just calm down, Mr. Tanner." I mouthed to Bellus, "Go get Professor Soliel." She got up and left.

"Okay." He seemed to have listened. "So where are you? Can I come get you?"

"Um... I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why not? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Huh? I... No. I'm just, not in the mood to talk. Still upset about my sister and all..."

"Me too. I didn't know she'd be so easy to kill."

I clenched my fists, my right hand closing around my phone tightly. "Yeah..." I hissed, trying not to sound too angry. "Anyway, I don't want you calling me anymore, Mr. Tanner."

"Why not? Did you lie about the boyfriend thing? I'm sure he won't mind. I can talk to him."

I gritted my teeth, looking over at Desmond. "Pretend," he mouthed. I nod. "Trust me, he won't like it at all. He's very mm... He's the jealous type. Doesn't even like me talking to his guy friends." I shrugged at Desmond. "He's actually right here next to me." I nudged him with my elbow.

"Who're you talking to... Annie?" Desmond asked.

I gave him a nod, letting him know that he was right in saying my real name. "Sorry, babe, just an old acquaintance " I said, careful not to say 'friend'.

"You call him 'babe'?" Mr. Tanner growled on the other end of the line.

"Um... Yes, he is my boyfriend." I said, ignoring the smug look on Desmond's face.

"Fine." He snapped. The line suddenly cut off. All we heard was a long, dead ring.

That's when Bellus and Professor Soliel came in. They stood in the doorway, looking at the now silent device in my hand. "We were too late," Bellus mumbled. "Sorry Scarlet, I should've ran faster." She slumped onto my bed.

"It's okay." I smiled to reassure her. "I'm pretty certain he'll call again... I'm just surprised he did. I wonder how he got my number."

"Did you get his number?" Professor Soliel asked.

I shook my head, looking down at the floor. "No, he called from a private number."

"Why don't you call the police?" Bellus asked.

"We can't prove that it was him." I replied.

"Can't they trace it?"

"They would only be able to if he was on the line." I placed my head into my hands. "Ugh. He sounded so... Perverted." I tossed my phone onto the nightstand by my bed. It sounded like he wanted me... Like he wanted my sister... What a psycho! The dream from the other night flashed through my head. Is Scarlet trying to warn me?

"You okay, Scarlet?" Professor Soliel placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes. I was just... The phone call shocked me, that's all."

She nodded her head. "If you ever need me, I'll be in the art classroom 'til 6am. Then I'll be in the teacher's wing, okay? Here." She took a pad from her white coat pocket and a pen, jotting down something. She ripped the paper off and handed it to me. "That's my number, call if anything happens."

I took it, grateful to have her on my side. "Thank you."

She smiled before she left. Bidding us all a goodnight.

"Scarlet? You sure you're okay?" Bellus asked quietly while sitting up.

I nodded. "I will be." Maybe I should call my dad? To let him know what happened? But then he'd ask a million questions... I need to let him know though, tell him to be safe. "I'm going to call my dad." I grabbed from phone, then entered the connecting bathroom.

It rang a couple of times before he answer. "_Hey Annie, are you alright?"_

"Yes dad. Hey, have you noticed anyone... um, lurking around the house?" I tried to sound casual, but failed.

"_No..." _He said slowly. _"Why? What's wrong?"_

__"I, um, got a call... From Mr. Tanner. He seemed kind of- Well he sounded kind of crazy. He said he'd hurt you guys if I go to the police. So, please, keep the house locked up, okay? Watch Christopher closely." My voice trembled at the thought of them getting hurt because of me.

"_I will, hun."_ I could hear him gulp on the other end. _"Why did he threaten you?"_

_"_I... I don't know, dad. Just stay safe, okay? I love you, bye." I hung up before he could say anything else. It broke my heart to feel so... So vulnerable. I hated it.

I left the bathroom. Bellus was still on my bed, her knees pressed against her chest as she glared at Desmond. He was twiddling his fingers, ignoring the rude attention he received. Once again, I wondered why Bellus was being so hostile towards him.

Desmond looked up at me. "What... What's up with your eye?"

I walked back into the bathroom with Desmond and Bellus following at my heels. The green was back, swirling around my right pupil. "It's doing it again?" Bellus asked while looking at my mirror-self.

"Again?" Desmond questioned, leaning to get a closer look.

"This happened not to long ago." I mumbled. Although it only lasted for a few hours.

"Maybe we should get you to the nurse before-"

I cut Bellus off. "No, it was no big deal last time. Just a little... headache." I squeezed my way out and sat on my bed. Why is this happening again?

_He's coming for you._ Scarlet's voice ran through my ears.

_Who, Scarlet?_ I glanced at my friends, who were staring at me with weird expressions. "I'm fine. Just need some rest... And water?" I gave Bellus a weak smile.

She nodded. "Come on, Desmond." She said in a cold tone. He gave me one last look before following her.

_Mark Tanner. He's going to do to you what he did to me. He came back._

_But why?_

_Look in the mirror. Don't you see the resemblance? Once he notices how similar we are, he will want to hurt you. Like he did me. His obsession is still there. You have to be careful, Annie. Never be alone. He will find you._ Her voice began to fade. I walked back into the bathroom. My other eye started to change colour as well.

Bellus came back with a bottle of water. I took it and drank greedily. Thanking her as we sat on our beds. We lay there in silence, until she finally spoke. "I use to like him."

"Huh?" I turn my head towards her.

"Desmond. We use to be best friends after the... the death of my friend and boyfriend. He helped me heal. He had just lost his close friend too. We started to like each other months later and then the next thing I knew... I was head over heels for the idiot." She refused to look at me.

"What happened?" I asked quietly, feeling slightly guilty for being attracted to him.

"Athena."

"What?!" I sat up, staring at her in disbelief.

"That's why they broke up. Her and Jeremiah, because she cheated on him."

"So this... Happened recently?" No wonder Jeremiah didn't seem to like him.

"Yes." Bellus's voice was little, almost a whisper. "I was surprised, and very hurt." She finally turned to face me. Tears filled her eyes. "And when he walked in the room with you... I almost broke down. I didn't want him to hurt you too."

"Oh Bell..." I moved to sit by her. I smiled as I brushed the now falling tears away. "You're such a kind friend. I don't plan on getting hurt by him."

She smiled, a small smile. "Good. Because you're smart."

I snorted. "Yeah. I kept wondering why he'd mention her a lot. But he also called her some bad names. Did he even know you had feelings for him?"

She sighed. "No. I never got the chance to tell him. But I know he still has feelings for her, even if he says mean things. He's just angry."

"It still isn't right." I shrugged. "Maybe you should tell him? Maybe he'll forget about her and realize he was a complete idiot to have ever gone out with Athena instead of you."

She giggled. "Yeah... Maybe."

* * *

**Ahhhh, twisted. **

**Well, at least you all know Desmond isn't a... _complete_ duchebag? I guess? Eh. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**__**_Song of the moment: (There isn't one... again.)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you Nyx'sReincarnation for encouraging me to keep writing! All your reviews make my day! **

**DISCLAIMER: The House of Night series belongs to P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. Any other characters that are NOT in their story, belongs to me. **

* * *

There was a few days 'til Christmas, and only a week until the Winter Solace Dance. Professor Lithe is extremely lucky that I am a very fast learner. I caught on the difficult dance quicker than she expected.

After what Bellus told me about Desmond, I felt even _more_ guilty dancing with him. He on the other hand, always has a smile on his face. Our dance instructor let us practice on our own for a bit while she went out. This was my only chance to bring it up.

"So..." I focused on our footing, trying to avoid his happy stare. "Has Bellus talked to you? Since last night, I mean."

He was quiet, I looked up. His happy smile was gone, replaced with a frown. "Why?"

"Just wondering..." I muttered. We fell in silence. Then I couldn't stand it anymore. "She told me that you guys were friends."

"Mm... Yeah." He replied.

"Mm. Yeah?" I looked up at him again. This time, he had a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. She was my best friend. Then I kind of ruined it."

"How so?" Although I already knew the answer.

"Athena. She pretty much... manipulated me."

"What?" I stopped him from dancing.

"Yeah. You know, boys and their dumb hormones. She used her beauty against me. I was captivated, I guess you could say. I didn't even care that she was going out with Jay. She was just too hard to resist, you know?"

I shrugged. "I guess... But I'm not a boy so..."

"True. But anyway, once Jay broke up with her, she wanted him back. So she dumped me." He slouched his shoulders. "Can't really say I miss her though. Like I said, the girl's a bitch. But what I'm curious about is why did _Jay_ take her back? Who's crazy enough to actually go _back_ with a girl like that?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled. Seriously, who is?

"So... Did Bellus ask about me or something?" Desmond's eyes were curious, like he wanted to ask a million questions about her.

That made me smile. "Not exactly." He huffed.

Professor Lithe came back at that moment. "Alright kids, I think that's enough practicing for one day. It's already 6am. I'm glad you two are working so hard."

"No problem." We said.

* * *

When I got back to my dorm, Bellus was lying on her bed reading her book. We exchanged hello's. She went back to reading and I went to check my phone, which I left here instead of taking it with me to the school. I had over 10 missed calls from a private number. I assumed it was Mr. Tanner again. He was smart not to leave any messages, made me irritated.

I checked the latest call, it was just a few minutes ago.

"Oh, yeah, that thing has been buzzing since I got home." Bellus said as she peered over my shoulder. "I wanted to answer it, but I felt like you should."

"Thanks." I erased the missed calls, then noticed a text from a random number. It was from Jeremiah, saying we needed to talk.

_About what?_ I text him back.

A few minutes later, I got a reply. _Meet me at the fountain between the dorms._ I agreed. "I'll be back in a few minutes." I told Bellus before heading out.

The morning air was chilly and damp. The sky started to lighten up, mixing orange, yellow, and purple. Like someone taking watercolours and dipping them onto wet paper.

Jeremiah stood near one of the many benches surrounding the huge fountain. He turned his head towards me. His face was blank, emotionless. "Hey." He breathed.

"Hey." I stopped a good distance from him.

We stood there, watching our misty breaths circling our mouths. I was about to walk away before he finally spoke. "Be careful, Scarlet."

He said it so quietly, almost like he was afraid someone else would overhear. "With what?"

His dark eyes darted around us. When it seemed like he was sure no one else was around, he continued. "People. Don't trust anyone."

"Like you?" I tilted my head.

He stared at me. A glint of sadness clouded over his eyes, but when I blinked, they were emotionless once again. "Yes. Even me."

"Why?"

"She has something up her sleeve, I just know it."

"Who does?"

"You know who I'm talking about." He said quickly. "Don't go anywhere alone. I will even walk you places if I have to."

"I have Desmond."

He glared at me. "Whatever. I don't care as long as you're not alone."

"Why do you care?"

"Don't ask stupid questions."

"It wasn't stupid."

"I care because-" He blurted, then stopped himself. "Just promise me."

"Then finish your sentence."

"Promise me!"

"Finish your sentence!"

His lips snapped into a straight line. He let out a frustrated sigh. "I gave you my warning, I hope you listen to me." He began to walk off.

"Wait!" I started after him. He stopped so suddenly that if I wasn't quick on my feet, I would've banged right into him. He turned around slowly and I backed up a few steps. I looked down at my feet, trying to hide my stupid blush. "Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why'd you toy with me? Make me actually... Like you, then turn around and go back with that... That _girl_." I hissed.

When I didn't say anything, I looked up. He wore that blank expression. My phone buzzed in my pocket, I knew I shouldn't have brought it. I answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"My love, hello."

I put it on speaker, heading for the teacher's dorms. "Please don't call me that." A pair of footsteps followed me, Jeremiah.

"I am sorry, is he near?"

"Yes."

"You didn't answer my calls earlier."

"I was in class."

"So late?"

Crap... I changed the subject. "What do you want, Mr. Tanner?"

Jeremiah almost yanked the phone out of my hand. I held it away from him, shaking my head no. "Just wanted to know if we could meet up, is that okay?"

"No. I'm busy."

"Tell your boyfriend to stop trying to take your phone."

I stopped dead in my tracks, glancing around. "What?"

"Tell him to stop reaching for your phone! I'm trying to talk to you! Take me off speaker!" He shouted.

I stared at Jeremiah, then clicked off the speaker phone, shakily raising it to my ear. "Okay... Sorry... We were in the middle of talking..." I mumbled.

His toned changed. "It's okay. I just want to talk to you alone, that's all."

"Where are you?" Jeremiah and I scanned the area, but couldn't see anyone.

"Can I talk to you? Alone, face to face."

"No. Not right now." I start heading back to the teacher's dorm.

"Stop!"

I listened, Jeremiah did as well. He tried leaning towards me to hear better. I held my hand against his chest, stopping him. "I'm sorry."

"Your hair is so long, Scarlet."

I cleared my throat. "Annie, remember?"

"Yes. Yes. Annie..." He said my name slowly. "You're so beautiful. You've grown into a fine young lady."

"Thanks." I wrapped my free hand around my body. "So where are you?"

"Will you meet me somewhere? Alone?"

"I-"

A teacher came running towards us. "Kids, come with me. There's an intruder lurking around the area."

I wanted to yell, "I'm talking to him right now!" But I held my tongue. I could see Jeremiah wanted to say it too.

Mr. Tanner cursed, then the phone went dead. We followed the professor inside a close building, which was the teacher's dorm. We entered the building, it was empty. They must be searching for the intruder. I glanced at Jeremiah. His jaw was stiff and he was very, very quiet.

"You kids okay?" the professor asked. We nodded. "Alright, I'm going to go help look." He left us standing there.

I pocketed my phone, then crossed my arms tightly across my chest. It was awkward. Very awkward. Being left alone with Jeremiah like this.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jeremiah growled, making me jump at the sound of his angry voice.

"Why didn't you?" I shot back.

We fell silent... Again.

"What did he want?"

"To see me."

"_What?!_" He hissed.

"I... He called last night. I talked to him for a bit. Then he kept calling all night again. Professor Soliel told me to answer it and get her as soon as possible."

"You shouldn't talk to him, Scarlet!"

I backed away from him. His tone was starting to scare me. But he edged closer, and I stepped backward, until my back hit a wall. "I know. I didn't know it was him though."

He slammed his hand against the wall, right next to my head. "I can't _believe _how _stupid_ you are!"

I glared at him. "_I_ am not the one who is _stupid_!"

He returned the glare. "Oh, so you're saying that I am?"

"No duh, Sherlock." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not the one dating a mean... _bitch_!"

"And I'm not the one talking to a _psychotic __rapist_!"

"Like I _want_ to talk to him? I'm trying to get him to cooperate with me."

"Why not just call the police?"

"What am I suppose to say? 'Hello, my dead sister's rapist is back in town and is now after me'? I don't even have evidence."

"You could call the police now, tell them he was watching you here at the House of Night. They'll come."

I scoffed. "As if, they'd think we're a bunch of teenagers playing a prank. No one wants to be near this school. No human anyway." I shook my head. "Besides, it'd be too late. He's probably ran off somewhere."

"You're impossible."

"_I'm_ impossible?"

"You're eyes... They changed colour again."

I was taken aback from the sudden change of topic. They're changing, again? "They were blue just a few moments ago." Jeremiah leaned closer to get a better look.

"They do that-" My head ached. I rubbed my temples. _Scarlet... Not now..._

_But you must see..._

_A tall male made his way through the thick trees behind the House of Night's horse stables. He looked back to see if anyone was following him. When he was sure he was safe, he continued to walk on. He seemed pretty far out. He reached a small cabin, it looked abandoned. I got a clear view of his face. It was Mr. Tanner. He entered the lonely home, setting himself on a dirty old bed. He took a picture out of his pocket, staring at it lovingly. "Soon, my love. Soon."_

_I couldn't see the photo, but I'm pretty sure it was either a picture of me or my dead sister._

I blinked at Jeremiah, his hands rested on my shoulders firmly. "Scarlet? Are you okay?"

I nodded slowly. "Is there an old cabin behind the stables?"

Jeremiah thought for a moment. "Yes..." He said slowly. "Yes, I remember my history professor telling me it was there for security reasons. A while back they would have a few vampryes there to protect the students from an harmful humans. There use to be a lot of angry mobs back then." He explained. "Why?"

"No reason..." I shrugged his hands off. "I've got to go."

"But-"

I left, heading for the stables.

* * *

**Finally, right? Almost to the climax! Or whatever. I'm glad I'm almost done with this. I could finally check it off my list!**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading!**

****_Song of the moment: God Knows Why - Haruhi_


	9. Chapter 9

**Yes, last chapter! I'm sorry if it's a little corny and seems rushed. But I'm just SO happy I'm done with this. I need to reread the series... Maybe. I'm not too fond of Zoey.**

**DISCLAIMER: The House of Night series belongs to P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. Any other characters that aren't in the original story belong to me.**

* * *

Honestly... I was scared. _Really_ scared. I've never dealt with anything like this before. What if he attacks me from behind? What if he has a weapon? What if he _knows_ I'm coming?

Thinking of all of these "what ifs" made my body shake even more, to the point where I could hear my heart bouncing from one end to the either. I can't do this! I can't!

_You can._

Scarlet's voice was just a whisper in the wind. It pushed me forward, encouraging me to go on. I clenched my fist and all I could think of the anger. How I was mad at Scarlet for going out that night. How I was mad at my dad for arriving too late. How I was mad at Mr. Tanner for doing what he did. How I was made at myself for keeping my stupid mouth shut when I should have _told_!

And that's all I could feel. Anger. I pushed myself. Willed my legs to go on. Past the school, past the dorms, past the horse stables. Until I reached the edge of the tree line, I stopped.

It was so dark.

Too dark.

The leaves rusted in the wind. Silent moaning came from the trees as they bent over. Even though the sun started to peek out over the horizon, it was dark through those trees.

But again, I forced myself. Telling myself this is for my sister. For me. He needed to be caught. He needed to be put in prison where I know he can't get out. _I_ needed to be at peace.

I walked as quietly as I could. Dodging trees and fallen branches. Brushing lightly against the rough bark. All I could hear was the sound of my rapid heart beat over the wind.

So many times, I wanted to turn back. To leave this dark world behind. But I knew I had to do this. For my sister, my family. For me. That's all I kept saying in my head. Scarlet's voice encouraged me. She gave me strength to go on, to be brave.

A tree branch snapped. I spun around, straining my eyes to see clearly. No one was there. It was probably an animal... I told myself. I kept walking, but the whole time, I felt as if someone was following me.

I prayed to Nyx, _I know I haven't talked to you or thanked you for blessing me... But please, keep me safe, Nyx. _Suddenly, I felt warm, calm. A small smile crept onto my face. _Thank you._

I finally reached the cabin house. It was old and looked like it was about to collapse any minute. I made my way towards the entrance, slowly and carefully. The front door was wide up. I stood in the entrance, listening for any movement.

And then I finally heard it. Soft mumbling. It was coming from a room in the back. Should I let him know I'm here? Should I call someone? I tip toed inside, then stopped. Another voice. A girl's voice? It was slightly high pitched and familiar. "Stop fooling around, idiot!"

"They-They almost caught me! If you hadn't... hadn't came, I would've been dead!" Mr. Tanner whimpered.

A loud thump followed by a cry. "Shut up! You're such a pansy! And you call yourself a man?"

Mr. Tanner cried out again. "I-I'm sorry! Y-Your kind is so scary!"

"Shut up, fool! What if she's on her way? She must've got my 'message'."

Message? Is she talking about the vision I had earlier? Was that her? Was it not Scarlet? What the hell is going on?!

I crept closer to the room that sounded like they were in. A floor board creaked under my weight. I froze. As did everything else. It was painfully quiet. I strained my ears to listen. I'm dead. I'm so dead!

"Did you hear that?" the girl whispered. A small whimper responded to her question. "Stop cowering, idiot!" She hissed. "She must be here. Remember the plan."

Everything got quiet. Since they knew I was here, might as well call out. "Mr. Tanner? Are you in here?"

Feet shuffled against the wood floor. A figure emerged from the room I was heading for. "A-Annie?" He whispered.

I gulped. "Yes, it's me. You... You wanted to see me, right?"

"Ah, yes. How did you find me?" He moved closer as I moved back. He now stood in the dim moonlight. He looked pale and sick. Bags under his eyes, hair balding.

"Well, I knew you were around. A-And I was told there was... A lone cabin in the woods. So... So what better hiding spot than this, right?" My voice cracked a lot. I tried to calm myself down. He can't hurt me. Nyx is on my side.

"Right. Right." He moved forward, a huge grin lit his face. "I'm so glad you came." He was so close now. He had backed me into a wall. His hand moved up to my face. "You look so much like your sister."

"Thanks." I squeaked, flinching as his fingers brushed against my cheek. "P-Please don't... Please don't touch me, Mr. Tanner."

He sighed. "She said the same thing..." His hand slid to the back of my neck, grabbing a fist full of hair. "She said 'Don't hurt me, Mr. Tanner.'." He laughed. "She was so scared! It felt so good to see the fear in her face!" He looked down at me. "Just like you. It makes me happy to see that same fear in your face... Brings back such wonderful memories." His other hand reached for my throat.

I pushed him away. "Don't touch me!" I screamed, backing towards the exit. "Don't you _dare_ put your filthy hands on me!"

"Scarlet, come here!" Mr. Tanner shouted.

I was then pushed from behind, falling onto my hands and knees. I turn around, my eyes grow wide. "A-Athena?"

She cackled, a high pitch annoying laugh that made my skin crawl. "Who else, idiot?!"

My bottom lip trembled. "W-Why?"

"Why? WHY? Why do you _think_?!" She screeched. "I had Jeremiah wrapped around my finger! Even after he broke up with me, he was begging me back! Of course I loved the attention and let him chase me around. But then _you _come along and the game ended!" She knelt in front of me, a wicked smile on her face. "But I got him back. And do you know how?" I shook my head slowly, keeping my eyes on her. "Because of this guy!" She gestured to Mr. Tanner, like it was a game show. "All thanks to his insanity! Oh, and thanks to you for telling me. I tracked him down, got your number from Jeremiah's phone, and called him up! I told Jeremiah that if he didn't take me back, bad things were bound to happen to you." She winked. "Oh, but bad things will still happen. With you here, Jeremiah has been distracted. So might as well get rid of you now!" She laughed again.

"How did you get into my mind? Sending me those visions?" I glared at her.

She smirked. "Easy. Some of us are gifted by Nyx. She gave me the power to put images in people's heads. I can make them think however I please. I can control them."

"She gave you that power for a reason, Athena. It's not meant for evil!" I shouted, angry that she would abuse such a great gift from Nyx. "You shouldn't use it like this!"

"I can do whatever I want!" She shouted back. "You don't have the right to tell me what to do!" She turned to Mr. Tanner. "Get rid of her. I'm sick of hearing that annoying voice."

I should've know it wasn't Scarlet telling me to kill him in my dream! I should've known that she wouldn't have thought it was right! No matter how evil he was!

Mr. Tanner came at me. He had pulled out a pocket knife and was aiming it at me. I threw up my hand, my body shaking with fear. I don't want to die!

He stopped, his eyes wide. Athena looked just as confused as I was. It was just like the dream... Instead of crushing my fist, I thrust my hand forward. He flew back, his head hit the wall, making him slump to the floor, motionless. At first I was afraid I had killed him, but then a low moan escaped his throat. I let out a sigh of relief.

Athena clicked her tongue. "I was hoping you'd kill him too... Oh well." She shrugged. "I'll have the pleasure of killing you off myself now."

She started heading for me. I scrambled to my feet, running to a nearby room. What do I do? I was so shaken up that I wasn't sure I could do whatever I did to Mr. Tanner again. I headed for the window, opening it up and climbing out.

_Why didn't you kill him? _Scarlet screamed. No, it's not Scarlet! Athena is messing with my head. I kept running and stumbling towards the trees. _You had the chance, and you missed it!_

_Don't listen to her sister..._

Tears ran down my cheeks. I don't know what to do! _Calm yourself down._ I can't!

_Go back and KILL HIM!_

I pressed my hands to my ears as I ran, trying to block out all the confusing voices. But I could still hear them.

_Don't listen to her sister!_

_KILL HIM!_

_Keep running! Don't look back!_

I tripped over a thick root, scrapping my hands and knees. I tried to pick myself up but couldn't find the strength to.

"Aww, poor baby." Athena cooed, she was right behind me. "Did the wittle baby fall down?"

I forced myself to my knees. _Nyx, help me!_

"Here, let me help you!" Athena shouted. She ran at me, a silver dagger in her hand.

She was yanked back.

I blinked. What?

Jeremiah had her pinned to the ground. He looked at me. "Are you okay?"

I nod.

Four more people came from the shadows. Bellus, Shelly, Dolly, and Desmond. They helped me up and asked a million questions. All I could do was stare at Jeremiah. I owe him, big time. My friends brushed me off. I gave them a weak smile and assured them I was okay, just a little shaken up.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Bellus wrapped her arms around me.

"How did you guys find me?" I asked.

"Jeremiah noticed that you seemed troubled. He came to our dorm and I told him you hadn't come back yet. We knew something was wrong. Especially since there was an intruder. I called up Shelly and Dolly and we ran into Desmond on the way. He thought you might be with Brown Sugar, but you weren't. Then I got this really bad feeling and I heard a voice. Saying that you were in trouble. And I don't know why, but I started heading this way. Then we saw Athena running into the woods, so we followed." Bellus explained. "It was so weird... It's like I heard that voice before."

Nyx, most likely. I thought, a smile on my face.

"When we were running after Athena, I thought I saw you so many times. But you looked... Different. It was like you were guiding us? So we wouldn't get lost." Bellus mumbled.

Scarlet.

"Jeremiah! Sweetie, I was just fooling around! You know I wasn't really serious, right Scarlet?" Athena stared at me with hope in her eyes.

I looked away. "Mr. Tanner... He's still in the cabin."

"We know, I just called Professor Soliel to let her know." Shelly said.

"Thank you."

* * *

Professor Soliel had us go to the nurse's room. My friends had me wrapped in four blankets. I felt like I was burning up with embarrassment from all the attention, and from the heat of so many blankets.

They called the police and had Mr. Tanner taken away. Finally, my mind can rest in peace. And finally Scarlet can too. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Bellus noticed that I wanted to be alone with Jeremiah for a while. So like a wonderful friend, she pushed everyone out.

Jeremiah refused to look at me. I stared out the window, the sun lighting up his face. "Jeremiah." I said firmly. He glanced at me sideways. "Talk to me. Are you okay?"

He sighed. "I'm the one that should ask you that."

"I'm fine." I pat the spot next to me on my thin mattress. He hesitated before sitting down. "I'm sorry. For being so... So mean to you. I should've known you had a good reason to treat me like that."

He shrugged. "I guess I should've said something to you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I slipped the blankets off. "You were just trying to protect me. Thank you, by the way. I owe you one."

The corners of his mouth twitched up. "You owe me one huh?"

I laughed. "Well, yeah."

"So... I can have anything I want?"

"Within reason, yes." My heart began to beat frantically.

"Is a date and a kiss within reason?" He grinned.

"That's two things." I blushed.

"But I saved your life!" He chuckled.

"Hmm. True." I grinned. "I suppose I can do that then."

"Perfect." He leaned in, kissing me lightly on the lips. "I'm glad you're okay, Annie."

"Me too..." I whispered. Or else I wouldn't be kissing you like this...

* * *

Turned out Desmond only got close to me so he could become friends with Bellus again. They started to date even. I even convinced Professor Lithe to have Bellus take my place as Desmond's partner. And she was fantastic! I can't believe she never thought about choosing dance over art. But she told me art is her passion, but she also like dancing too.

Athena was sent to a more... strict House of Night. Where she would be watched constantly and taking classes alone with supervision. They know of her power, so they have to wear these kind of special helmets to block her out.

We had finally convinced Shelly to ask out Dalton and he said yes! But now we gag every time we're near them. They are the most corniest couple ever!

Dolly is still searching for her "soulmate". Honestly, she just loves the attention from all the guys.

Dad practically had a panic attack when he heard about what happened. I had to calm him down by letting him visit. Chris finally realized Scarlet's never coming back and that she is in a happier place.

And as for Jeremiah and I, we are a couple. Finally! He is my white knight. Corny, right?

Oh, and I changed my name back to Annie. Jeremiah had practically begged me too. But I kept my last name. Annie Moonflower, I like it.

I haven't heard from Scarlet. But when everything was done and over with, it felt like she was finally at peace. I guess she moved on. I'm happy for her.

I told Professor Soliel about my power. She was happy to hear that Nyx had granted me with such a wonderful gift. Me too.

I'm glad this is all over with.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **

****_Song of the moment: Immortal - Kerli_


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